Patagonia is an incredibly varied and beautiful place. It is, quite
literally, the end of the world. Other than Antarctica, there is no
place that is further south. It is 1,500 miles farther south than
Cape Town, South Africa, and 600 miles farther south than Stewart
Island in New Zealand. While its mountains seem to be an extension
of the Andes, it actually sits on its own tectonic plate. It is
south of where the Nazca and South American plates collide to create
the volcanic core of the Andes. In Patagonia, the mountains are
pushed up by the collision of two smaller plates. Geologically, it
turns out that Patagonia is more a part of Antarctica than of South
America. From its most southerly point (Cape Horn), Patagonia
stretches 1,700 miles north. On its western (Chilean) side, it is
cold, windy and rainy. With no significant landmass to slow
them down, the winds just get faster and faster as you move farther
south. We were far below the range known as the “roaring forties”
(40 degrees south latitude), and half way through the “furious
fifties” to the “screaming sixties.” Daily winds inland were 20-25
mph with regular gusts to 40 or even 50 mph. On one day, an
excursion had to be cancelled as the participants were literally
being blown off their feet. Western Patagonia (Chile) gets all
of the rain. The eastern, Argentinian, side is in the “rain
shadow" of the mountains and is, therefore, dry. Within Torres del
Paine National Park, we made excursions in an area that averages
more than 12 feet of rain per year. We also made an excursion
17 miles farther east that averages less than 30” of rain per year.
The beauty of southern Patagonia is enhanced by the fact that the
tree line and snow line are very low (around 1,500 feet and 2,000
feet respectively) in late October. While we were always at
low altitudes, the landscape had similarities to a high alpine
range. This impression was helped by almost nightly dustings of snow
above the snow line. Absent volcanic activity, the mountains are the
result of uplifting plates of soft, sedimentary rock, subsequently
carved by glaciers. There are no classic, conic, volcanic mountains,
but only sharply defined, “craggy” ridges and U-shaped valleys.
Sometimes a little granite enters into the picture and then you get
fantastical shapes and contours. This doesn’t mean the mountains
were small. But they topped out at around 10,000 ft. They also were
stunningly beautiful.
When “discovered” by Magellan during his historic voyage, Patagonia
was occupied by a tribe of tall natives. At the time, Spaniards
averaged about 5’ 1” in height. According to the chronicler of the
Magellan expedition, the natives averaged nearly 6’ and were thought
to be a type of giant. The name “Patagonia” translates variously as
either “the land of big feet” or “the land of giants.” Amazingly,
all evidence and historical reports agree that, in spite of the
terrible local weather, at least one tribe of the local natives went
completely naked! While they hunted the locally abundant mammals
(guanacos) for their meat, they didn't make leather clothing from
their skins or fur. And their women would go diving for shellfish in
water barely above freezing!! It seems that they had an over
developed-layer of fat under their skin that protected them from the
cold. They also covered themselves with animal grease.
Given all the precipitation and low temperatures, it shouldn’t be
surprising that there are a lot of glaciers. Most flow down from
what is known as the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the 2nd largest,
non-polar ice sheet in the world. There are also a lot of lakes,
bogs, etc. The lakes come in many colors depending upon the source
of their water. Grey Lake is grey due to the high level of suspended
sediments in the water. Not surprisingly, it is fed by the Grey
Glacier. Lake Pehoe, by our lodge in Torres del Paine, was bright
blue – almost turquoise – due to various dissolved minerals.
The underlying concept of our itinerary was to travel a giant U.
This was determined, in part, by the limited number of border
crossing opportunities between Argentina and Chile in Patagonia. We
began in Chile, at Torres del Paine National Park at the southern
end of the South American continental mass. We then planned a 4-day
cruise from Chile to Argentina with a brief pass at Cape Horn. We
then flew 350 miles north and spent several days on the dry,
Argentine steppe visiting glaciers. Finally, while we had intended
to continue to northern Patagonia (Bariloche), we instead detoured
much farther north, almost to the Tropic of Capricorn, to visit
Iguaçu Falls and its surrounding jungle.
Getting There – October 17 and 18
Our trip began with our flying some 6,300 miles south. We flew on
COPA (Panamanian Airways) for a couple of reasons – principally
cheap business class fares and a daytime flight schedule. We either
had to live through a 24-hour travel marathon, waste a night and day
in Santiago, or do what we did. We started with a 5-hour flight to
Panama City, followed by an 8+ hour flight to Santiago, Chile,
arriving just after midnight. COPA’s Executive Class seats are just
like domestic US 1st Class seats, but as we were largely flying
during the day, they were fine. We then got about 5 hours sleep in
an airport hotel (the Hilton Garden Inn) before catching our next
series of flights south.
Getting on our next flight south was one of the two real glitches
that occurred in the trip. When we got to the airport to check in,
we were told no one had paid for the ticket. They had our
reservation but no money. We were more than a little irritated as we
had sent large checks off months ago to pay for these flights as
well as everything else. Jan ended up having to pay for two
additional tickets while Jamie stood in a ridiculously long line for
security and the transfer guide held our luggage at the check-in
desk. It took nearly an hour before everything was worked out and
was clearly not what we had expected. Our travel agency immediately
apologized and agreed to repay us. They usually do a much better
job. But, sometimes stuff happens and you just have to deal with it.
After this experience, we resolved never to go to the airport
without making sure we had our e-ticket numbers and had printed out
our boarding passes. With such precautions, we had no other airline
woes during this trip except for delayed flights.
There are a few comments that need to made about South American
domestic airports, and Argentine domestic airports in particular.
They are all over-crowded. Most of them are in the process of adding
additional gates, but I really don’t think this will solve their
issues. The problem is that the waiting areas, gates, baggage claim
areas, etc. have all been sized for planes with a capacity of 200
passengers. Now all the planes are stretch 737s with 300+ passengers
and every flight is completely full. As a result, there is a
constant mass of people – waiting to check in, to drop off luggage,
in security lines, at the gate and in the baggage claim. In El
Calafate, two planes disgorged passengers at the same time and there
was only one baggage carrel. We couldn’t even get into the baggage
claim area. Eventually everything seems to work out. But it can be a
bit of a surprise how poorly set up their airports are. It is also a
testament to a major growth in tourism to this region. This is part
of the justification for why our transfer people were always trying
to get us to airports 2-3 hours in advance. 99.9% of the time it is
unnecessary. And when your flight is scheduled for first thing in
the morning, it can be very irritating to sit for several hours at a
crowded gate with no breakfast after rising before dawn. But stuff
can go wrong. Periodically, you actually need the time.
After finally getting on our flight, we arrived 4 1/2 hours later in
Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan, the Chilean gateway to
southern Patagonia. An Explora driver met us at the airport. We were
joined by a group of 5 Americans for the 5-hour van ride north to
our final destination, the Explora Lodge in Torres del Paine
National Park. Half of the 250 mile drive was on dirt roads. This
place is seriously remote! We arrived just before dinner and were
assigned a lovely and very comfortable room with an incredible view
over Lake Pehoe. If you go, pay extra for the mountain view. It is
worth it.
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Torres del Paine – October 19-22
Part of the reason we came to Patagonia was because of our
experience 5 years ago at the Explora Lodge in the Atacama Desert in
northern Chile. Basically, we loved it. They had great excursions
including some amazing horseback riding. Great food, all-inclusive
rates, no extra fees for anything. We met some wonderful people
there who reported that Explora in Patagonia was completely
different but just as great. So for 5 years, we have been thinking
about visiting the Explora Lodge in Patagonia.
The pattern and tone of this segment of our trip was set at the
introductory talk before dinner. Each day, we would meet with
excursion guides in the early evening and discuss the options
available for the following day. Given that there were only 30
guests in residence (the lodge has 50 rooms), there was generally
only one horseback excursion and 3-4 treks offered. If a group of
guests wanted to pursue some particular route, it could easily be
negotiated. But there was no discussion of the weather. Their view
was that they “celebrate each change of season and weather. Rain,
wind, an unexpected snow storm, or a day of bright sunshine are all
part of the experience.” The challenge is to be prepared for
anything. With the exception of life-threatening conditions, they
simply don’t modify any of their excursions to accommodate the
weather. What if you plan to take a 5-mile hike and it turns out
that it is only 35 degrees out and pouring rain? Well then, you just
take a 5-mile hike in the cold and pouring rain while appreciating
the beauty of the mists and fog on the mountains and lakes. It
actually all works a lot better than it sounds.
Over the course of the next several days, the guests sorted
themselves out into roughly 4 groups: the gung-ho 30 somethings
(mostly American) for whom no trek was too hard; a couple of 60
something American women who ended up largely staying back at the
lodge after the first day; a group of weak hikers (generally older
Americans) and a group of capable but not aggressive hikers. Jan and
I ultimately gravitated into this last group. It was made up of 4
Israelis, 2 Germans and the two of us. While we were the oldest in
the group, the whole group was reasonably well matched in terms of
hiking abilities. We really enjoyed our group; they added to our
enjoyment of the excursions and provided good conversation over
meals and drinks. Jamie even got to practice his German a little.
Day 1 (Oct. 19): After an expansive breakfast, we took our morning
excursion to the Grey Lake. We deliberately chose the easiest hike
offered to test Jamie’s ability to participate. After a 30 minute
van ride, this involved a relatively short (6 km) hike through a
forest, across the beach at the end of the Grey Lake and up and
around a small peninsula. It was cold (mid 40s), misty and rained
off and on. We could just barely make out the base of the Grey
Glacier 10 miles away at the north end of the lake. The “beach” was
actually a moraine of rounded gravel stones that dammed up the south
end. There were tons of trailer-sized icebergs that had run aground
at the beach. Our guide, Jenny, was very helpful and informative.
While Jamie had no problems, we didn’t find our fellow hikers (the
weakest hikers) to be very interesting, or even very interested in
what our guide had to offer. Jamie decided that he would do a more
challenging trek that afternoon in hopes of finding a more
compatible group.
We returned to the lodge at 1 pm for a full lunch (soup, salad, main
course and dessert). The food in Patagonia was very good, though not
quite as good as at Explora Atacama. The afternoon excursions began
around 3:00. This is a significant difference between the Atacama
and Patagonian resorts. In Atacama, due to the desert heat,
afternoon excursions started much later (4:00, 5:00 or even 6:00
pm). This meant that we had enough time for a decent siesta after
lunch. The earlier departures in Patagonia made the pace seem more
strenuous. Jamie, at least, was fairly tired by the end of our stay.
In the afternoon, Jan took a horseback ride along the Serrano River
with guide Ben and a gaucho, and Jamie took a 6 km trek to Lake
Sarmiento. The trek was much harder than the morning hike but it was
on the drier side of the park, so no rain. And the scenery was
completely different. No trees, only scrub brush. Lots of Andean
Condors. The hike was lovely. Jamie saw a large number of guanacos
(relatives of llamas) and several species of birds. Jamie also began
our relationship with 4 Israeli travelers who became our companions.
Jan was the only person on her ride; in fact, she was the only
person who rode during our entire stay there. They even had English
saddles for her. The ride was relatively flat, along the flood plain
of the Serrano River. For his final pm excursion several days later,
Jamie walked roughly the same route along the river.
When we returned to the lodge after our excursions, around 6:30, we
went down to the pool, sauna/hot tub and spa facility.
Unfortunately, it is 100 yards down a long set of stairs. After a
strenuous trek, the last thing you want to do is hike down and then
back up to the lodge, particularly if it is raining. But the hot tub
jets felt so good on our poor, tired muscles that we still used it 2
out of 3 days.
We had drinks, listened to a short talk about geology, ate an
excellent dinner and then went off to bed. We had no trouble
sleeping.
Day 2 (Oct 20): After our success on day 1, we opted for a much more
strenuous, 16 km trek to the French Valley on our second day. At
this park, the main attraction is the Torres del Paine Mountains.
These are a series of ridiculously beautiful crags. The range
includes mountains with 1,500 foot sheer cliffs, their so-called
“horns,” a number of hanging glaciers, waterfalls, varying layers of
rock and granite, etc. You really have to see them to believe them.
Please. Google them. They really look like their photos (whenever
the mists clear). From Chile, you can’t see the “Needles” without
taking a very strenuous trek around to the back of the primary
massif. You can, however, see them from Argentina. When we were in
El Calafate later in the trip, we were able get views of the
Needles. Anyway, the classic series of 3 treks at Torres del Paine
is known as the great “W”: 1) go west and then north around the
southern end of Paine Grande to the Grey Glacier (the left hand line
of the “W”), 2) go east around the southern end of Paine Grande up
into the French Valley (the center line of the “W”), and then 3)
swing even further east past the French Valley and the “Horns” and
follow a river to the north around and way up the back to complete
the “W.” What we opted for was a full day trek to do the middle of
the “W.” Actually two groups made this trip on this day: the fast
group, and the middle group (ours).
This was an incredible experience. There were very high winds. It
blew so hard that our guides expressed concern that we might have to
seek an alternative starting point. But they managed to pilot the
covered, 20+ person catamaran launch across Lake Pehoe from the
Explora dock – tossing and turning the whole way. We buried our bow
in every wave, and then the water would wash up over the roof of the
boat. After we finally started hiking, the 60 km winds would pick
water up from a lake and drench us, even though we were 200-300 feet
up and a quarter of a mile away. You could literally see sheets of
water being blown off the lake. And sometimes it just rained. But
then, periodically, the air would clear, and you would feel as if
you could reach out and touch the tops of these amazing mountains.
We didn’t have to go up and down long distances. Mostly, the
well-marked trail just tracked between the base of a mountain and a
lake. But the scenery was stunning: mountains, lakes, waterfalls,
glaciers, snow, granite cliffs, and on and on. As we neared our
designated lunch spot, Axel (one of the Germans), who is afraid of
swinging bridges, decided he couldn’t cross a suspension bridge over
a river. So instead we clambered up a river bed over huge boulders
to a place where we set up for lunch. Fortunately, the rain stopped
(temporarily). And we had delicious hot soup, sandwiches, coffee,
some chocolate, some salad, and some cookies. Ben, our guide on this
day, had carried a large part of our lunch. The soup was wonderful.
Then we retraced our steps back to the boat. Jan, it turned out, is
a great hiker. She outpaced the whole middle group both coming and
going back. Not by a long distance – maybe by 5 minutes. But she’s
very proud of having been in the lead for nearly the whole trip.
The boat got us back to the lodge at around 4:30 and Jan and I
headed for the sauna and hot tub. Later, we watched a film about
pumas in the park, had drinks, chatted with our hiking partners, ate
another excellent dinner and then went off to bed. Once again, we
had no trouble sleeping.
Day 3 (Oct 21): On day three, we declined the opportunity to do a
day-long trek to “complete the W” with the fast group and opted for
2 half day excursions. In the morning, we took an 8 km hike called
the Aonikenk Trail, which follows a fence on the eastern border of
the park. So it’s a dry hike over mostly scrub and grass. Lots of
guanacos, lots of condors, 2 grey foxes and stunning views of the
Paine massif. The sun opened up and we really began to see the crags
that had been partially hidden over the previous two days. One or
another piece of the massif had usually been visible in the mists.
But now we began to get a view of the whole mass. At one point, we
climbed up a hill, saw some pre-historic cave “drawings” and had a
great view from a lookout point. This was Jan’s favorite trek
because she really likes the drier, more open landscape. It is
similar to altiplano but different.
After lunch, Jamie took an easy walk along the Serrano River, and
Jan took another horseback ride with Jenny as guide, this time way
up a mountain to Buena Vista (beautiful view -- and it was). Though
neither was terribly arduous, we were both beginning to get a little
tired and Jamie, at least, was looking for a break.
That evening, we completed the reorganization of our itinerary and
had a last few drinks with new friends. At this point in the trip
(or maybe the day before?), Jan discovered “Calafate Sours.” Some of
you may be familiar with the Peruvian drink, a Pisco Sour. The
calafate bush is indigenous to Patagonia and was just coming into
bloom. Our guides had shown us its little, yellow flowers during our
treks. It produces a small pink/red berry that is turned into jams
and juice. It is a sour berry and so makes a great “sour” drink. A
Calafate Sour become Jan’s standard drink for as long as we were in
Patagonia. Later, we heard a talk about glaciers, had yet another
excellent dinner, and finally went to bed.
Day 4 (Oct 22): On the fourth day, we departed Torres del Paine.
When we woke up, the sky had cleared, the sun was out, and we
finally had that view of the Paine massif that you see on postcards.
It was incredible! Jamie took another dozen or so photos, knowing
all the while that his pictures could never do the actual thing
justice. Google it and you'll see what we mean.
After breakfast, we loaded into vans for the 5-hour ride back to
Punta Arenas. Except for lunch at a mid-way lodge, we tried to sleep
during most of the long, boring ride and Jan continued to read on
the iPad. At about 3 pm, we were dropped off at the offices of
Cruceros Australis, the headquarters of the company that runs the
cruise between Punta Arenas, Chile, and Ushuaia, Argentina. After
disposing of our luggage, we had a couple of hours to wander the
town. Basically, Punta Arenas had been a very prosperous place
during the heyday of the clipper ships. Nearly everyone wanted to
resupply while passing through the Straits of Magellan. But once the
Panama Canal opened, Punta Arenas's economy collapsed. Now it’s
trying to reinvent itself in a tourism-based economy but still has a
long way to go. There are some gorgeous old buildings in the process
of being renovated. But basically, I wouldn’t schedule a night there
if you can avoid it.
Cruising the Beagle Channel -- on to Cape Horn -- October 22-25
This segment of our trip was scheduled for 4 nights and 3 full days
cruising the Straits of Magellan and Beagle Channel with a potential
stop at Cape Horn (depending on the weather). It also allowed us to
utilize one of the few convenient border crossings from Chile (Punta
Arenas) to Argentina (Ushuaia). It turned out that we actually sort
of "snuck" across the border, if one can be said to sneak anywhere
on a ship that is 300' long. It seems that the immigration
department is a little loose in Tierra del Fuego. We were never
officially entered into Argentina. When we were exiting Argentina at
the end of our trip, the passport control people were scratching
their heads because they couldn't find any indication that we had
ever entered their country! Apparently we didn't look like
terrorists, so they did let us come home.
We boarded our ship, the Stella Australis, at 5 pm. With a capacity
of 200 passengers, this is the larger of the two ships that cruise
this route. We chose it in part because it is the newer one but
mostly because of its size, hoping that Jamie would be less likely
to get seasick on a larger boat (albeit one-tenth the size of the
ship we cruised to Alaska). Upon boarding, we changed cabins to one
closer to the center and Jamie put on a scopolamine patch.
Ultimately, neither of us became seasick, even though we did have
some significant rolling. Maybe it was just calm enough? Maybe it
was the cabin? Maybe the drugs? Whatever. No one got sick. I mean,
actually, no one. We didn't see anyone getting sick.
That evening before dinner, we got our mandatory safety briefing and
an introduction to how things would work. All around the ship, there
were flat screen TVs that displayed a combination of our progress on
a nautical chart and, in two languages, a schedule of upcoming
events (excursions, lectures, films, meals, whatever). For most
events, Spanish speakers gathered in one lounge while English
speakers (a.k.a. everyone else) gathered in another. Passengers were
split roughly 50/50 between these two groups. The excursions all
involved loading into Zodiacs (cap. 10-12 passengers + crew) off the
ship's stern and going to shore. You were required to wear your
life-vest. The trip was usually wet, so rain gear was essential. The
landings were mostly dry, but we were very glad we had waterproof
footwear.
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We were surprised that the meals
were "sort of" open-seating. We had been told by someone who had
previously taken this trip that seating was assigned. In reality, we
randomly chose our own table the first night (one of several set for
two), and then we were (sort of) expected to stay at the same table.
The carrot was that you would have the same waiter and he would know
your preferences. This didn't quite work for us as they mysteriously
changed our server after the first day. We didn't see him working
another table. He just disappeared. A few persons traveling alone
changed tables from time to time but people mostly stayed put. This
particular group of passengers may have been given some extra
flexibility as the ship was at only about 60% capacity and there
were a lot of empty tables.
We learned, to our surprise, that this had been designated as a
"Darwin Cruise" featuring lectures about Darwin's experiences in the
Beagle Channel. There was an older, professorial type who had,
apparently, taken this trip 8-9 times before, presumably giving the
same talks in return for his passage. His talks, his jokes and his
delivery were all very tired. After the first lecture, we more or
less stop going. Jan discovered at one point that she enjoyed the
Spanish language talks much more, even though she couldn’t fully
understand everything that was said, because the speaker was much
more animated and engaged.
The ship cast off around 8 pm, during dinner. The sailing overnight
was completely within the Strait of Magellan and the Tierra Del
Fuego archipelago and so was relatively calm -- very windy, some
rolling, but basically calm as far as this part of the world is
concerned.
The First Full Cruise Day (Oct 23): After a filling breakfast (after
all, you "have" to eat a lot when expending so much energy
hiking....), we prepared for our first excursion: Ainsworth Bay. We
wore long underwear, trekking pants, shirts, fleece, rain pants,
rain jacket, gloves, hat, sunglasses, suntan lotion (remember the
big ozone hole down here?), waterproof hiking boots, carried a
bottle of water, life vest, camera, bird book and, finally,
binoculars. All the English-speaking passengers gathered in the
stern lounge on the 4th deck. As the Zodiacs were readied, we filed
down an outside stair and climbed into the boats, taking seats on
alternate sides. Once a boat was filled (including guide and
driver), we proceeded off to a distant island.
The first stop was roughly a half-mile away. There were some
elephant seals ashore, but we had to stay in the boats. The seas
were rough and we were bouncing around. So it was difficult to
distinguish the brown and tan blobs that were rocks from the brown
and tan blobs that were sleeping elephant seals. After a brief
gander, we went into the neighboring Ainsworth Bay and went ashore.
Before departing the ship, everyone had been sorted into groups. We
got sorted into a group of 6 English-speaking passengers with our
own guide, Carlos. This was the most fortuitous event of the cruise.
The 6 of us were remarkably congenial. We made every excursion
together. We sat together during the films, had drinks together and
regularly chatted. We were called the Woodpecker Group because Jan
and I badly wanted to see a Magellanic Woodpecker, quite possibly
the coolest bird in this area of the world (except of course for the
albatrosses). Carlos was a young but very knowledgeable guide. What
he didn't know, he looked up between excursions. The group included
3 Americans (including a Houston doctor), an English couple and a
single Brazilian/Swedish woman currently living in London but
traveling on her own. The group provided a wonderful social circle
that made a huge difference in our enjoyment of the cruise. We were
just in a great group of compatible people.
After dumping our life jackets in a pile, the Woodpeckers took a
90-minute walk around Ainsworth Bay, getting an introduction to the
archipelago's flora -- basically, a combination rain forest, bog,
and arctic tundra type ecosphere. Very beautiful. And, mostly very
wet (and it was mostly raining). When we returned to the beach, we
were treated to our choice of a shot of whiskey on the rocks, hot
chocolate or both. This turned out to be the usual end of all
excursions that went ashore, although the Woodpeckers usually
returned so late we usually missed the excursion's "reward." The
ride back to the ship was very rough as the wind had really kicked
up. After plowing into the waves and getting soaked for a while, our
pilot managed to find a little protection in the leeward shadow of
our ship. Eventually we got to the ship's stern and clambered off
the Zodiac. I'll give the drivers, crew and guides a lot of credit.
Getting into and out of the Zodiacs in a rough sea should have been
much harder than it was. Everything was very well organized. We were
all told exactly what to do, where to step and when, and when (and
how) to take a hand. Everyone quickly got on and off the ship
without a hitch, every time. Even a couple of people who walked with
canes made it once or twice. A very professional operation. After we
came back on board, the soles of our shoes were "power washed" to
ensure we didn't drag any little organisms or soil from one site to
the next (or dirt into the ship). .
We changed clothes and attended our first Darwin lecture before
lunch. Lunch was buffet style, offering everything from salads to
pasta to main dishes. In general, the food on board was very good,
more than plentiful and satisfying. Not great, not gourmet, but
good.
We had our second excursion mid-afternoon. It was a "drive by" of
some bird colonies on Tucker's Island. The birds included Magellanic
Penguins, Rock and Imperial Cormorants, and several types of gulls.
We were not allowed to land, but had to drift several yards offshore
while watching the penguins, which were very cute. While they were
supposed to be the stars of this stop, the actual highlight turned
out to be a wayward Andean Condor. No one knew what it was doing
down here at sea level, but it appeared out of nowhere, floating
just over our heads. It couldn't have been more than 10 feet up. An
incredible view of an incredible bird. We were all so surprised that
no one even took a photo of it. But the sight is definitely burned
into our memories. Then, back to the ship.
That afternoon we busied ourselves with reading, attending a lecture
on glaciers and then took a tour of the engine room. Basically, it
was a really, really loud place (we had to wear ear protection) but
very clean (not a speck of dirt or oil) with at least 4 huge diesels
plus several other engines. Two of the diesels were for propulsion,
two ran generators for power, and I think there were one or two
others that ran compressors, provided emergency backup power, etc.
Very impressive. But most of it was, frankly, a little mysterious
even to me.
After a good dinner at 8 pm, we went to sleep. At around 2 am, we
were woken up and nearly tossed from our beds. The ship had ventured
to the west, out from behind the protection of some islands, and
faced the full fury of the southern Pacific swell. At one point, a
whole load of stuff (binoculars, camera, water bottles, books, etc.)
went crashing to the floor off our stateroom table. I know it sounds
weird, but it seemed as if we were tossed about for only 5 or 6
waves. Then, apparently, the Captain was able to duck back behind
cover and followed an inland channel the rest of the night. At least
that's what he said when we asked him about it the next day.
Day 2 of Cruise (Oct 24): This was a quieter day in terms of
excursions. The ship cruised up the Beagle Channel into what is
known as Glacier Alley, famous for all of the glaciers along its
northern edge. The morning was enlivened by an offer we gladly
accepted to visit the bridge. It was very interesting. Jan got to
sit in the Captain's chair. The only odd thing was that, apparently,
the ship is not equipped with an autopilot. Maybe this is common for
large passenger ships? Maybe they do this because they have to stay
alert for icebergs? I have no idea what the logic might be but there
you are. I also was amused that the bridge carried a full set of
traditional signal flags -- obviously in case of the loss of
electronic communications -- but amusing nonetheless.
In the afternoon, we had a very cool excursion. The ship sailed up a
long fiord and stopped about a half mile or so from the base of the
Pia Glacier. We all got prepared, climbed into the Zodiacs and took
off for the rocky shore. Once there we climbed a trail until we got
a wonderful view of both the ablation zone (face) and the
accumulation zone of this glacier. The Darwin range dominates the
center of the island on the north side of the channel; it is covered
with a large ice sheet that feeds dozens of glaciers. Almost all of
these are now retreating. None of these have a face that still
floats on the water. For the Pia Glacier, the face sits on its
moraine some 10 meters under the surface of the fiord. After a hike
up to a viewpoint, the Woodpecker Group then climbed down and found
a comfortable spot just to sit across a narrow bay and then spent an
hour just "listening" to the glacier. As with all of the glaciers we
visited, the Pia Glacier seemed to be alive and talking to us. It
was a very special experience just to sit quietly, not on a ship,
with a glacier as a close neighbor. Maybe you had to be there to
understand, but the Woodpecker Group uniformly agreed that it was an
extremely cool thing to do. It turns out that we sat so long, they
had to come looking for us. We were on the last Zodiac back to the
ship -- with no whisky or hot chocolate; that had long since been
packed.
Day 3 of Cruise (Oct 25): This was the big day when we learned
whether we would be able to set foot on Cape Horn. It would depend
on the weather and swells. Cape Horn is a small (3 x 6 miles), rocky
island with steep cliffs (750' max altitude) and no trees. It has a
small lighthouse supported by the Chilean government, manned by a
man, his wife and child. Apparently, they sign up for a one year
tour. Then they just do a lot of maintenance and sell tourists
coffee mugs and tee shirts. And go crazy from the isolation no
doubt. The island also has a very beautiful sculptural monument of
an albatross that is a memorial for all sailors who lost their lives
"rounding" the Horn. The island is named after the Dutch town of
Hoorn, home of the Dutch East Indies trading company. Theodore and I
visited Hoorn on a bike and barge trip in 2006. Both Jan and I were
very excited just by the concept of seeing Cape Horn. Walking on it,
or perhaps even sailing to its south and "rounding" it would be too
cool to be believed.
The weather was not great -- a lot of mist with a steady rain. But
we all got ready while they sent an exploratory Zodiac to the
landing site. They determined that a landing was OK so the excursion
was a go. We loaded up and rode to the landing. Then we climbed up
nearly 200 stairs to get to the top of the cliff. From there, it was
a half mile in one direction to the monument and a half-mile in the
other to the lighthouse. We went to the monument first. Very windy,
rainy and cold. But the monument was lovely and quite fitting: very
sparse, cold and modern. We made our way to the lighthouse. We would
have bought a cap or mug or something, but no one told us that we
needed to bring cash -- no credit cards accepted. After checking out
the view from the top of the lighthouse (not much better than from
its bottom), we went back to the ship. After everyone was back on
board, the captain opted to sail south of the Horn. We actually got
all the way to latitude 56 degrees South and cruised about 10 miles
south of the cliffs on the southern end of the island. It got really
rough. We literally couldn't stand up without hanging on. We saw a
few pelagic birds (Black-Browed Albatrosses and Southern Fulmars
among others). But the big thrill was just being south of Cape Horn.
And we got grog to celebrate "rounding the Horn." Eventually, as the
weather got worse, the captain turned around and headed north for
more protected waters. When you take this cruise there is no
guarantee of being able to land on Cape Horn. They say they are able
to do so 70% of the time. But on the preceding 4 trips, they had
been unable to land, much less to "round" the Horn. In their
brochure and on their website Cruceros Australis doesn't even
mention the possibility of "rounding the Horn." That seldom is
possible, which we readily understood as the seas got rougher and
rougher the farther south we went. We feel incredibly lucky we were
able to do so. For Jan, "rounding the Horn" was hands down the
highlight of the trip.
Our afternoon excursion was at Wulaia Bay on Navarino Island. This
island comprises the southern shore of the eastern half of the
Beagle Channel, opposite Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego. Wulaia Bay is
historically significant, as Charles Darwin and the Beagle actually
stopped here and met some natives whom they "took" back to England.
There also are some significant archeological sites here. We walked
up a fairly steep trail to a wonderful outlook. The Woodpeckers then
hiked up farther to a large beaver dam -- beavers and hares are
imported pests in Patagonia. By crawling around under a downed tree,
Jan got a good view of the beaver. Then, on the way back down to the
ship, we achieved one of the goals of our trip: we saw a Magellanic
Woodpecker (female). It was an extremely large, impressive and
beautiful bird--at least the size of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
Not a great look but enough.
Back on ship (the Woodpeckers were last aboard yet again), we
purchased one of our few souvenirs of the trip: a full-sized chart
of the whole Patagonian archipelago, with our ship's exact route
plotted and then signed and dated by our captain. After a farewell
dinner, we spent some time packing as the ship was scheduled to dock
in Ushuaia around 2 am. We were to disembark the next morning after
breakfast.
A Transition Day (Oct 26): On this day we were to fly roughly 350
miles north to El Calafate. As our plane was not scheduled to leave
until early afternoon, we had arranged to be met at the dock and
taken on a tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park. So after a last
hearty breakfast on board, we retrieved our passports (unstamped by
immigration) and luggage, and disembarked. Our driver and guide met
us and off we went. Although we saw almost nothing of the town
itself, Ushuaia is apparently a fairly prosperous town with a
population of around 70,000. The Argentinean government has provided
some business incentives and now there are 3 electronics assembly
plants in town, adding some technology-related employment as an
add-on to its basic tourism economy. Ushuaia’s port also does fairly
well as a lot of the Antarctic cruising trade passes through here.
Basically, there are only two jumping off points for Antarctica:
Ushuaia and the more distant Christchurch, New Zealand.
We spent the next several hours having a very enjoyable but low-key
tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park: several picturesque bays, a
lovely inland lake, snow covered mountains and some new birds. We
took a couple of short hikes and stopped off at an interesting
visitors center where we learned about the region’s geology, flora
and fauna and its original inhabitants (and their lack of clothing).
We saw the southernmost post-office on the South American continent.
We would have mailed a bunch of postcards but it was closed. We also
saw the end of the Pan American highway, with a sign indicating that
Alaska was a mere 17,848 kilometers up the road. We went back to
Ushuaia and caught an early afternoon (delayed) flight to El
Calafate.
El Calafate -- October 26-29
When we arrived in El Calafate, we also changed eco-systems. This
area, known as the Argentinean steppe, is completely covered by the
rain-shadow of the Andes and gets very little rain. All the rain
falls on the great Southern Patagonian ice field on the spine of the
Andes. It then feeds hundreds of glaciers that push down the valleys
into Argentina. Lago Argentino by El Calafate is Argentina’s largest
fresh-water lake and is fed by melting snow and a series of melting
glaciers. In fact, you can see icebergs floating in the lake. The
view west is of snow-covered mountains. The landscape is dry and
almost barren: low scrub and grass. Excepting tourism, the economy
is dominated by cattle and sheep ranches (estancias), Many of these
are huge, having anywhere from 14,000-20,000 acres. The land is so
dry, however, that you seldom see herds of sheep or cattle. Instead,
you’ll see a couple of sheep here or a couple of cattle there. Or
maybe you’ll see a gaucho riding the fences looking for gaps needing
repairs (wire fences are everywhere). Tourism activities are
dominated by trekking, glacier-related stuff, and visiting an
estancia (horseback riding, displays of gaucho skills, etc.).
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Our hotel, Eolo, is a lovely
Relais & Chateaux hotel about 30 miles west of town. It sits, almost
completely alone, on the side of a mountain overlooking a huge
splendid valley. The valley, in fact, is made up of a single
estancia, but you need binoculars to make out the main house, 5
miles away on the valley's other side. The views are incredible.
Check out their web site. On a clear day you can see the Needles of
Torres del Paine through a gap in the mountains. It turns out that
Eolo is only about 45 miles northeast of the Needles. Through our
binoculars, we had several great views of them. The 17-room hotel
has a spa, a pool, offers various excursions (some included), and
very good food and service. Its rates are all-inclusive, including
even most drinks. Actually, we had not anticipated that their rates
were all-inclusive, so we were very pleasantly surprised at a
minimal bill when we checked out. Overall, it was our favorite hotel
this trip. We arrived just in time for a wonderful tea and were able
to schedule our time for the next 3 days. We had only scheduled one
excursion before we left the US due to the uncertainties of what
Jamie would be able to do given his bike accident. Knowing now what
he could do, we were able to set up some additional activities.
After unpacking, we had an excellent dinner before going to bed.
Day 1 in El Calafate (Oct 27): On our first full day in El Calafate,
we followed the hordes to the Perito Moreno glacier. Basically,
everyone who comes to El Calafate goes to the Perito Moreno glacier.
Wikipedia lists it as “one of the most important tourist attractions
in Patagonia.” So you get busloads of tourists from all countries,
speaking all languages, all pushing to the front to get the “ideal”
picture. Or blocking off the trail while they take 37 different
shots of their wife in front of the glacier, always hoping for that
“perfect” photo to show their friends back home. We had our own
guide and driver, so we had a lot of flexibility. It let us get away
from the crowds and we thoroughly enjoyed our day.
We started by getting a lot of info about the region while on the
hour or so drive to the site. We then opted for a boat trip that
took us up to the face of the glacier. The face is 3 miles wide and
averages 240 feet tall. As it is one of only 3 Patagonian glaciers
that are growing, chunks break off the face fairly frequently. Most
of the other 26 named, major Patagonian glaciers are all retreating.
Big chunks (e.g., house-sized) fall off less frequently but still
daily. We saw several of this size. We opted not to do the available
“glacier treks.” We had done this in Alaska 18 months ago and didn’t
feel the need to repeat the experience. The ice-trekkers did help
Jamie though. It’s almost impossible to get a sense of scale into
photos of glaciers. Having little dots of ice-trekkers walking
around the top of the glacier helps.
After the boat ride (worth the time), we went to the main visitor
area. Here, we encountered Argentinian catwalks for the first time.
Later in the trip, we ran into them again in Iguaçu Falls. They are
quite remarkable: 4-5 foot wide metal grate walkways with wooden
railings and periodic benches and viewing terraces. Now, imagine
several miles of these, spread out on the steep hillside opposite
the glacier's face. They were so extensive that we were able to walk
away from the crowds! Once we got down a several flights of stairs,
our company was reduced to the much smaller number who wanted more
than just a photograph. We ended up having lunch alone on a terrace
across from the glacier's face listening to it talk to us as it
moved and dropped off chunks. It wasn’t as cool as our time with the
Pia Glacier, but was still very nice. Our box lunch from Eolo was
quite good, including a truly superb brownie.
What makes the Perito Moreno glacier most interesting is that, as an
advancing glacier, periodically it grows until it touches land in
its midsection at the tip of the peninsula on which the catwalks are
located. That cuts off the flow of water between what becomes two
fronts of the glacier. The water between the two arms of the lake
can differ by 30 meters! Over a period of about 6 months, the ice
dam can become an ice bridge as the water hollows out an arch as it
tries to find a path through to get to an equilibrium level.
Eventually, the ice bridge ruptures in a spectacular explosion. The
whole population of El Calafate comes to wait when a rupture seems
imminent. Usually this happens in the summer (their summer or March)
but the last time happened in late July (their winter) and at night.
Since there is no natural light (and the moon was dark) the TV
cameras had been turned off and it went unrecorded. The week before
we arrived, the entire front had been completely open. When we saw
it, the ice had advanced, touching land and beginning the cycle. It
doesn't happen every year -- in fact in the past decade it has
happened only in 2003, 2006 (with a spectacular rupture) and 2008
(the unseen and unrecorded winter night rupture). The glacier
touching land doesn't ensure that it will progress to ice bridge and
rupture. In 2010, it touched land but never built an ice bridge.
Whether it does depends snow accumulation and rate of advance.
Though South America doesn't make the news much here (note the lack
of reports on the volcano eruptions and their impact on Argentina --
Chile just can't keep its own ash to itself), we're hoping in about
six months to find reports of an ice bridge and video of possible
rupture that we saw in its incubation.
Back to our hotel in time for tea and a quick dip in their indoor
pool. We then got in some relaxing time before an 8:30 dinner.
Day 2 in El Calafate (Oct 28): On our second day in El Calafate, we
went trekking. The best known (and highest rated) trek is the
so-called Upsala Glacier trek. The Upsala Glacier is famous not only
for its size but for its rapid retreat. The glacier is retreating an
average of 600 meters per year (yes, six hundred meters per year,
that wasn’t a typo). While Greenpeace alleges (and I suspect) that
this is due in part to global warming, the local guides don’t repeat
that mantra. Both the Chilean and Argentinian guides talked about
“natural warming cycles” and “unknown causes” while acknowledging
the existence of global warming. It was so consistent that I got the
impression that it was, more or less, the officially approved view
in both countries. They take a long view of glaciers since over eons
the world has gone through glacial and interglacial phases. The
issue is whether human action is accelerating this process in ways
that haven't happened before.
The Upsala Glacier has retreated so fast that you can’t even see its
face without completing a major trek. As huge chunks of ice break
off the face, they drift 8 miles south in an arm of Lago Argentino.
At the arm's mouth, they run aground and pile up at a “shallow” spot
(50 meters deep) created when the glacier deposited a large moraine
several centuries ago. While the moraine has been there for
centuries, the arm's closure by icebergs is only a few years old.
The trek starts with a 3-hour boat trip that includes a long
interval (too long in our judgment) floating around in front of the
jammed up icebergs. Then we travelled up another arm of the lake to
Estancia Christina. This well-known, remote ranch is a popular
destination for day-trippers (most of our fellow passengers) who
come for lunch and the view and for a smaller group of people who
come and stay for 2 or 3 days. Frankly, from what we saw, we
wouldn’t recommend staying there. We were in a third group – the
much smaller number of day-trip trekkers.
After disembarking, we were loaded into two 4x4 trucks and driven up
the mountain. There was a group of about 16 with one guide. The
trucks followed a very steep road (you really needed the 4x4 trucks)
for several miles, climbing 1,500 feet up the mountain. The trucks
were also quite uncomfortable for those sitting in the back (Jan and
3 other guests got in front--Jan because of her asthma sought
protection from the dust; Jamie got stuck in the back). Sitting
sideways with minimal cushioning for a bumpy hour-long ride was
enough to make Jamie worry about his back going out on him. When we
finally arrived at our destination, we were in an unbelievable
environment. Some 800 feet below us, we could see a small, minor
side-face of the Upsala Glacier. Given the air's clarity (no
pollution, no moisture), we also could see miles up its length. We
could see where several smaller feeder glaciers merged into the
larger one. Closer to hand, we were standing in a moonscape. The
land we were to trek through had been totally scoured by the glacier
and then uncovered as it retreated. It had only been exposed for a
couple of hundred years. It was not the small gravel of a moraine.
It was unlike anything we had ever seen before: absolutely no
vegetation; no soil, huge slabs of rock polished smooth by the
passage of the ice several centuries before; a rainbow of colors in
the rocks, steep, smooth-sided valleys going off into the distance.
It was just remarkable. Then we set off on a 14 km hike back to the
estancia and boat. This turned out to be a more strenuous hike than
the 16 km one in the rain at Torres del Paine. The first 10 km were
all steeply downhill. We had our walking sticks with us and we
needed them. Also, we often walked along or down a steep polished
rock face. We had to trust our footgear to give us the needed
traction. Finally, the knowledgeable and helpful guide really pushed
us along. He had clearly been given a deadline for arriving back at
the boat (its departure time) and knew how fast we had to hike to
get there in time. That meant we had to just constantly keep moving.
We had a 30-minute break for our boxed lunch (another great one from
Eolo) and a couple of 2-5 minute water breaks. Outside of lunchtime,
bathroom breaks involved finding a fairly large rock to duck behind
(obviously, no facilities en route) and then rushing to catch up
because the group wouldn’t even slow down. But the scenery was
amazing!! After the first 10 km, we finally had lost most of the
altitude and scenery and could just push along through a grassy
valley. This turned out to be deceptively long as we couldn’t see
our destination until the very end. By the time we got back to
Estancia Christina, we were both very tired and ready for a rest.
Oddly, there was no snack or treat given to us at the hike's end. We
were given the chance to (briefly) buy a variety of drinks and food,
but we both felt that some sort of congratulatory cookie or drink
would have been appropriate. I guess we're spoiled.
One of the odder members on this hike was a fairly young guy (late
20s-mid 30’s) dressed in clothes you might wear around town. No hat.
No gloves. No backpack. He carried a paper grocery bag under his arm
that clearly held his lunch. He looked totally unprepared, except
for his hiking boots. It turned out that all of his trekking gear
had been in his backpack that had been stolen in Buenos Aires. He
just decided he wasn’t going to give up on his trip and determined
to carry on. He kept up quite nicely too.
After a long boat ride back, we returned to Eolo around 7 pm in time
for a short rest before another excellent dinner. Note, while Eolo
offers to arrange for private transportation, we let them set up
“public” transportation for one-tenth the cost. And it worked
flawlessly. They drove us to the end of their very long, gravel
"driveway." Two minutes later, a minibus whose fee had already been
paid picked us up. On the way back, we just asked the various
drivers which was going by Eolo. When we got back, there was an Eolo
driver waiting for us at the end of the gravel road leading to the
hotel. Apparently, they do this drop off and pick up daily, and they
really have it down pat. If you go, save yourself some money and let
them arrange the “public” transport option; skip the private
transfer.
Day 3 in El Calafate (Oct 29): Our flight to Buenos Aires wasn’t
until late afternoon so we did a couple of excursions in the hotel's
immediate surroundings. In the morning, we took a pleasant “bird”
walk with their local guide. We started at the hotel and walked
about a mile down into the valley to a small lake that had a flock
of flamingoes and a variety of ducks. We also were able to identify
a couple of new hawks. The bird watching would have been improved if
we had brought our scope, but this was the only time during the trip
where we needed it. After lunch, Jan went for a horseback ride up
the mountain (great views) while Jamie just took it easy and
finished his packing.
In the late afternoon, we were transferred to the airport, where we
sat waiting for a very delayed flight to Buenos Aires. You may
recall that we had intended to go to Bariloche but had rescheduled
due to volcanic ash from Chile. This point marks the beginning of
our revised itinerary. We finally got into Buenos Aires around 11
pm. This was due to the delay and that this was a long flight (3+
hours; 1,300 miles). We were picked up at the airport and taken to
our hotel in Puerto Madero, the Madero Hotel. Although we only
stayed one night, we would definitely recommend this hotel. It’s
relatively new, in a great location and has very comfortable suites.
It’s not cheap, but nor is it terribly expensive. The next time we
return to BA, we will definitely consider staying at the Madero.
Iguaçu Falls
Day 1 in Iguaçu Falls (Oct 30): The day began with one of those
awful, early hotel pickups to make a crack of dawn flight that seem
to occur with such regularity in South America. Following a
completely inadequate breakfast (the hotel’s one downfall is that
their kitchen doesn’t open until 6:30 am and we had to leave prior
to that), we went to the domestic BA airport. Of course we arrived
way too early. We found an airport café that served coffee, juice
and somewhat tasteless croissants.
This brings up the question of how we handled currencies. We’ve
gotten sick of paying substantial fees on credit cards and ATM
withdrawals. They end up jacking up the relative “service fees” on
currency exchanges to anywhere from 6-10 percent. We investigated
changing money in the US before we left but that also carried a
fairly stiff fee. We finally opted to carry a bunch of good old US
dollars in cash. “Guarding” the cash wasn’t as complicated as it
might seem. We really didn’t need much (tips, airport food, etc.)
and we were staying for several days in most places. Thus we could
stick the majority of the cash in the hotel room safe and forget
about it. Other than tips, there was very little to spend money on!
There were virtually no souvenirs worth buying. We had most of our
meals in our hotels, which, in general, were all-inclusive. We had
pre-booked (and pre-paid) most excursions. It turned out that, even
in airports, vendors were happy to take US dollars! The Argentine
peso has recently gone through a period of terrible inflation. US
dollars are viewed as safe. Most vendors were not only happy to
accept dollars but most even converted their prices to US dollars
with a decent exchange rate. In the BA airport, the café used a 4.2
to 1 exchange rate while the Exchange Cambio just down the hall used
a rate of less than 3.4. So we carried a pile of 1’s, 5’s, 10’s and
20’s. We used them for tips and to pay for whatever small items we
needed. We got our change in pesos, so we also were able to maintain
a small cache of local currency. It’s not something I would do in
Europe, but with sufficient care against robbery, it worked just
fine in South America (always keeping in mind the guy who had his
backpack stolen). (And we'd had no need for any cash in Chile.) We
just didn’t carry money around except when we were in transit. I’m
not recommending this approach, but this time it worked for us.
We were met on arrival in Iguaçu Falls. Our luggage was taken off to
our hotel and we went directly for a daylong tour of the Falls –
both a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This place
looks like a real tourist trap crowded with busloads of bustling
people and families with kids. (We were also there on a Sunday so
there were lots of locals out for the day.) But we highly recommend
visiting it. First, the falls themselves are extraordinarily
impressive. We’ve seen Niagara and Victoria Falls. To us, Iguaçu
Falls was much more impressive. Granted, this may have been due to
recent, very heavy rain at Iguaçu and low water levels when we
visited Victoria. (Note: Wikipedia’s article on Iguaçu Falls is
highly recommended. It includes a nice comparison of the world’s
major falls.) The water levels here were extremely high. And the
falls are just huge, laid out along 2.7 km with multiple separate
cataracts and waterfalls. Because of the high water levels, many of
the “separate” cataracts had merged into one huge cataract. Plus,
this is another place where the Argentinean skill in providing miles
of catwalks is put to excellent use. Imagine being on a catwalk,
walking 10 feet above the Niagara River, just up river above the
falls. You walk for maybe half a mile like this, moving from one
little island to another. Then you arrive, 10 feet above the brink
of the Falls, watching a torrent of water disappearing over the edge
while you’re completely enveloped in mist and deafened by the roar.
That’s what Iguaçu Falls was like on the day we visited. It really
was remarkable. People often say that you get a better view of the
falls from the Brazilian side. Neither of us saw any reason to cross
to the other side. The feel of the thundering water as it shot over
the edge was just amazing. We were so close to the lip as the water
gushed over that at times it made some people (including Jamie) feel
a little dizzy.
Our guide was terrific. The park is huge. Getting from one end to
the other involves taking little trains that run on set schedules
because of crossing tracks. She knew where to go for the best views
and when we had to hurry a little. (“Come quickly. The next train
isn’t for 20 min.!) She knew most of the birds and animals and a
fair number of the butterflies. The butterflies, by themselves, are
reason alone to visit. They were stunning: fluttering around in
clouds – literally several hundred bright yellow or orange
butterflies in a cloud. They love salt, so they often end up landing
on people, a unique experience itself. And their colors were just
amazing. They make Iguaçu Falls magical.
We concluded our visit to the Falls with THE boat trip. This is like
the Maid-of-the-Mist boat ride in Niagara only jacked up on drugs.
You get into a big Zodiac with a capacity of 30+ people. They give
you a life jacket and a waterproof bag to protect whatever you want
(e.g., your camera). Then they go zooming up the river, over small
rapids until arriving below the falls. Then the boat makes several
runs directly toward (into??) the falls. We got soaked. It wasn’t
from mist or spray and it wasn’t from stuff splashing over the side.
We got wet because we were so close to the falls that a very heavy
“rain” of water fell directly on our heads. It was like sitting
under a faucet. No matter how good your rain gear is, it isn't good
enough for this!
After the boat ride, it was time to go back to our hotel, the Loi
Suites. The Sheraton Hotel, which is on the park’s grounds with
views of the falls from many rooms, has fallen on hard times. And it
looked like it when we briefly walk through. Everyone we talked to
(both in the US and there) said that it had become somewhat run down
and many rooms have mold from all the moisture in the air. Loi
Suites is a small, Argentinian chain (5 facilities) of 5 star
hotels. Our experience, however, was decidedly mixed. If I thought
there was a better place, I would tell you. But be prepared for some
odd stuff. The hotel is an example of the triumph of design over
functionality. Visually, it is very striking with lots of different
woods in the floors and railings, etc. It creates a “jungle” feel by
maintaining jungle in and around the facility (e.g., right over your
balcony railing) and by installing “suspended” walkways between
buildings. But… The rooms are inadequately soundproofed. In our
first room, we were treated to a cacophony of screaming infants and
running kids in the halls. This was fixed by a room change (which
they were not happy to make). The main dining area has hardwood
floors, hard walls, hard ceilings, hardwood furniture and tables
without tablecloths. The result was that you couldn’t talk to
someone on the opposite side of the table without significantly
raising your voice. The bartender in the hotel lobby didn’t know how
to make a drink listed in her drink menu (a Pisco Sour of course!).
Except for in the dining room, all chairs -- even in the rooms --
were exceedingly uncomfortable They had such short legs that even
Jan's knees were in her face. The chair backs were canted so far
back your eyes were staring up instead of ahead. Design over
functionality doesn't work here. The food was decidedly average.
It's located so far out of town that you're isolated and dependent
on the hotel for services. There is no concierge and the reception
desk was not service oriented. We had a significant problem (to
which the hotel contributed) and until we got the manager involved
(and we give her great kudos), things went from bad to worse. I
could go on, but I’m sure you get my drift. If you go to Iguaçu
Falls, stay at the Loi Suites. It's the best in town. But keep
expectations for well-managed luxury in check!
Day 2 in Iguaçu Falls (Oct 31): Our final day Iguaçu Falls, and
actually our last day of real holiday, was the only day of the trip
that got totally screwed up.
Iguaçu Falls is one of the greatest birding destinations in the
world. Name any genus of brightly colored birds and this place
probably has at least three species from that genus: hummingbirds,
tanagers, woodpeckers, hawks, trogons, motmots, horned-bills, etc.
Every birding tour of Brazil or Argentina spends a day or two (or
even three) at Iguaçu Falls. It is truly a world-class birding site.
We had reserved a half-day tour with the top birding specialist in
the area (Daniel Somay-- daniel.somay@rainforestevt.com.ar).
Everyone we spoke to before and after our tour said, “Daniel? He’s
our best birding guide!” He was supposed to pick us up at our hotel
at 5:45 am. So we got up at 5 am and got prepared to go birding at
the crack of dawn. And then we waited. And waited. And waited. After
about 45 minutes, we asked the front desk to call. Oops! Wait! It
turns out they couldn’t call. The entire phone system was down. Not
just the hotel phones, but the phones for the entire area! Even cell
phones, which should be on separate circuits, didn’t work! In lieu
of sitting there fuming, we asked the desk to call us as soon as the
phones came back up and let us know what was going on. I think if
she had had her way, Jan would have put us back on an airplane for
BA that afternoon, a day early, but with the phones out, there was
nothing we could do. Instead, we went back to bed hoping we wouldn’t
miss a unique chance for some wonderful birding. We would never come
back here just for the birding. So it was "make it happen" today or
never.
True to form, the front desk didn’t call us when the phones came
back up. When we went to check at around 10 am, we were told that
“oh, yes! Your birding tour has been rescheduled. Daniel will now
pick you up here at 3:30.” We weren’t thrilled. Birding in late
afternoon is nothing like birding at dawn. But… So, we hung out at
the pool trying to guess just how uncomfortable those Brazilian
bathing suits are, read some books, walked around a bit and just
relaxed. After lunch, we got back into our birding clothes and went
to the lobby to wait for Daniel at 3:30. No Daniel. After 20
minutes, we went back to the front desk. This time, the very
efficient (and very effective it turns out) manager took charge. She
was not about to let our birding expedition fade into thin air. She
called the agency. She finally got Daniel himself on the phone.
There had been a screw-up. Daniel had another client. Blah, blah,
blah. She figuratively stamped her foot and the next thing we knew,
Daniel was on his way to pick us up. We don’t remember her name, but
she saved the day. She was the best thing at Loi Suites and the only
reason we didn’t post a scathing review of it on Trip Advisor when
we got home.
Once we actually got together with him, Daniel was not only charming
but one of the best birding guides we’ve ever had. Even marginal
birding guides can identify most birds by sight without checking
their bird books. Call them 1-Star guides. 2-Star guides can also
identify and find birds by knowing their calls. 3-Star guides not
only identify birds by sight and sound, but they also know enough
about them to understand their behavior and how and where to find
them. The absolute best guides, 4-Star guides, do all of the
preceding, but also ensure that when he (or she) finds the bird,
there are no trees in the way and the sun is at your back so the
bird’s colors are lit up and maximized for photography. They
literally put you into an ideal situation for viewing each bird and
maximizing your enjoyment. It’s a very unusual set of knowledge and
skills. Daniel was a 4-Star guide. He was absolutely fabulous. When
he picked us up he asked what kind of birds we wanted to see. We
said, “hummingbirds, woodpeckers, tanagers, and hornbills.” By
sunset, we had seen 8 species of hummingbird, 3 species of
woodpecker, 5 different tanagers, one hornbill and roughly 30 other
species. I know Arlington and its distribution of birds pretty well.
But I couldn’t show you 3 species of woodpeckers on demand if my
life depended on it. Moreover, Daniel was so embarrassed about the
multiple screw-ups, that he refused not only his regular fee but
also any tip. It was a great afternoon of birding and saved the day.
Back at the hotel, we had dinner in the pool bar area. We had
discovered at lunch that it was much quieter than the main dining
room. To our surprise, we were treated to a water ballet
demonstration. We had seen the swimmers practicing during the
afternoon, but we didn’t know what it was about. At about 9 pm,
lights and music were turned on and 3 women jumped in the pool and
started swimming about. I’m not a very good judge, but…. While they
didn’t seem to be a world-class trio, they definitely entertained us
for about 20 minutes or so. Jan was glad to see an exhibition of a
sport she had done in college and is much under-appreciated in the
US.
Back to Buenos Aires (Nov 1): The next morning, we got up, had
breakfast, transferred to another overcrowded airport, and flew back
to Buenos Aires. We checked into our hotel, the Palacio Duhau, a
very fancy place. We stayed there because we had intended to meet
with an Argentinean friend, Florencia M. B. Molinuevo, the owner of
the Juan Geronimo estancia we stayed at two years ago on our last
trip to Argentina. She comes from the Duhau family, and we thought
it would be cool to stay in “her” hotel. It's now owned by the Park
Hyatt, but whatever. But our Internet connections had been so
intermittent during the trip that we screwed up and missed making
connection. We’re very sad about missing Florencia. She is a
charming lady. Instead, we spent a couple of hours after our delayed
flight's late arrival walking around Buenos Aires before Jamie
collapsed into a deep sleep for a couple hours.
Our travel agency had given us two tickets to an expensive dinner
and tango show (Rojo Tango). We had seen it during our last visit,
but it was very good and we very much enjoyed seeing it again.
Getting Home – November 2 and 3
Our trip ended much as it began, flying 6,000 miles north. Once
again we flew on COPA with a daytime flight schedule. Once again we
changed planes in Panama City. We spent much of the flights watching
a sitcom on Jamie’s iPad – “Community.” It’s about a quirky group
attending a community college. If you like “Modern Family” or “Parks
and Recreation,” you would like this. We thought it was hilarious.
Chevy Chase (from the original Saturday Night Live cast) has a
regular role. We watched 6-8 half hour episodes. After spending some
14 hours in the air, we got back into Dulles Airport at around 1 am
Thursday morning. We got through immigration and customs, and took a
cab home, arriving around 2:30 am. All our fish survived, and our
house was just fine.
Summary:
Overall this was an excellent trip that definitely makes it into our
top 10. We can highly recommend virtually every element of our
itinerary. However, it was a trip for people who are very active. If
you’re not willing to (at least) try hiking 10 km in the pouring
rain, it may not be the trip for you. On the other hand, we never
thought we would enjoy hiking in the rain, but we managed just fine.
And we even cherish the experience. We would have preferred doing it
when it was drier, but wet turned out to be OK too. Once we got
north of Tierra del Fuego, things really dried out.
One of the big decisions that anyone traveling to Patagonia has to
make is when to go. We chose early spring. The crowds were way down
and we had lots of places to ourselves. Most places were way under
capacity. We were a little early for spring wildflowers, but timing
that is always a bit of a guess. We saved some money by getting
“off-season” rates on the cruise. It turns out that the weather, at
least in so far as temperatures are concerned, doesn’t really vary
that much (plus or minus 15-20 degrees). In the middle of the
Patagonian summer, there is less rain and mist, but higher winds and
lots of low clouds. The Argentinean side is always dry.
We felt restricted, schedule-wise, because we were wanted to
coordinate the end of our Explora stay with the beginning of the
cruise without spending a night in Punta Arenas. It turns out there
are more options for crossing the border than we knew about. It’s
possible to arrange a long (5+ hour???), van ride from Eolo (and
probably other Calafate hotels) to Explora. This would eliminate the
need to fly all the way south to Punta Arenas and then drive 5 hours
back north to get to Explora, but would require flying south from
Buenos Aires to El Calafate. As it turned out, we were happy with
our plan to execute a U entering via Santiago and ending up in
Buenos Aires. You could do the whole itinerary by flying in and out
of Buenos Aires.
The cruise is a must for anyone travelling to this part of the
world. I don’t know what it would be like if the boat was full. Our
impression is shaped by a “low-occupancy” lens. But it was so well
organized that I think it would be great regardless. For the most
part, the route is in protected waters, so for most people,
seasickness should not be an issue. But you do need to be prepared
to participate in some cold and wet excursions if you want the full
experience.
Both Explora and Eolo are unique and wonderful places. Visiting
Iguaçu Falls is definitely worth the effort, even though I have
mixed feelings about recommending our hotel.
One thing we did not expect was mostly being cut off from
communication. We've learned from past experience not to travel with
a cell phone and until China, seldom utilized email until we were
able to travel with an iPhone. For this trip, we had need for
communication to alter our itinerary en route and to deal with
unusual glitches. We had an international cellphone (Jan’s iPhone),
but it mostly didn’t work because of lack of service. Outside of BA,
Wi-Fi was largely unavailable (which is what the iPhone needs for
email usage). We once briefly used an Internet café in Punta Arenas.
Our hotels had only spotty service. Explora’s Internet service was
the best but limited to one desktop computer and no Wi-Fi. The ship
had no service of any kind. Eolo had Wi-Fi but it was spotty. When
their internet server went down one entire day, so did their Wi-Fi.
The complete shutdown of the phone system (and thus internet
service) in Iguaçu Falls speaks for itself. Basically, don’t go to
Patagonia and expect to “stay in touch.” It’s too empty and too
remote. If you absolutely must “stay connected,” either bring a
satellite phone with data capability, or don’t go to Patagonia.
Finally, there are cheaper alternatives for doing virtually
everything we did (except the cruise). We saw a lot of backpackers
tromping around Torres del Paine and El Calafate. There were lots of
parks for camping and lots of “hostels” for cheap accommodations as
well as less expensive hotels. Street food is pretty cheap; they
have great empanadas. And for the truly adventurous, there is always
the Pan American Highway. After all, by car, Ushuaia is only about
10,000 miles south from Washington, DC.
Jan H. and Jamie R.
[Last names withheld in compliance
with the LARC privacy
policy.]
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